by Frances D’ Souza and Tessa Jowell, edited and with an introduction by Claire Foster-Gilbert

The Power of Politicians is an account of Tessa Jowell’s experience of entering politics and making effective sense of her role. Here, with Frances D’Souza, she gives fascinating insights into the workings of Parliament, the successful development of policy into legislation and also interior life: how she protected herself against the morally corrosive force of power-seeking, what inspired her and what troubled her. The result is a masterclass in how to be a good politician. The Power of Politicians not only offers a case study of the life and work of a politician, but also attends to deeper questions about what is morally and emotionally demanded of our political class — exposed as they are to the corrosive effects of having to seek and retain power — and of the institution of Parliament itself, in the face of public hostility and indifference.

Tessa Jowell was an English Labour Party politician and was secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport between 2001 and 2007. Frances D’Souza is a British scientist and Lord Temporal. Claire Foster-Gilbert is a member of the British Medical Association’s Medical Ethics Committee and the McDonald Centre for public theology and ethics, Oxford.